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Philippe Clement’s side currently trail Celtic by ten points in the Scottish Premiership title race with their Old Firm rivals already through to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 playoffs.
Clement has work to do against the Belgian visitors to Ibrox, as he aims to guide Rangers into the knockout phase, and The Sporting News looks at the latest qualification picture in the league phase.
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Defeat away at Manchester United last week dented Rangers’ hopes of reaching the Round of 16 automatically with the playoffs the most likely route now.
With 11 points on the board from seven games played, Rangers are 13th in the league phase table, with a spot in the Round of 16 playoffs already assured.
The top eight sides from the 36-team table reach the Round of 16 automatically, with teams placed 9th to 24th landing in the playoffs, and those 24th-36th will be eliminated from European competition.
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Ahead of the Union game, Rangers have a slim chance of making the top eight, but they would need to win and see the eight teams above them drop points.
A draw would move Rangers onto 12 points, which could move them to 11th place on goal difference if Viktoria Plzen and Olympiacos drop points, but results elsewhere could also have an impact.
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Crucially, teams placed 9th to 16th are seeded for the playoff draw, meaning they will play the second leg game at home.
Defat to Union would see the visitors (also on 11 points) overtake Rangers with Clement’s side slipping down the rankings and potentially ending up in …
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